A member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard who pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges for leaking highly classified military documents will now face a military court-martial. The individual admitted to illegally collecting sensitive secrets and sharing them on the social media platform Discord. The U.S. Air Force announced that the court-martial will take place at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts, with no set date as of yet.
The charges against the individual include disobeying orders and obstructing justice. The accused, who was part of the 102nd Intelligence Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base, worked as a cyber transport systems specialist responsible for military communications networks.
The individual's actions led to the most significant national security leak in years, exposing classified information about Russia's war in Ukraine, including troop movements and supply provisions to Ukrainian forces. Additionally, details about a U.S. adversary's plans to harm American forces serving overseas were also disclosed.
As part of a plea deal, the individual pleaded guilty to six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information, with a minimum sentence of 11 years in prison. The sentencing is scheduled for September. The leak prompted concerns about America's ability to safeguard its classified information, leading to tightened security measures by the Pentagon and disciplinary actions against those who failed to act on the individual's suspicious behavior.
